There’s probably dozens of Canadian newspaper writers out there who wrote that same headline as the one to this editorial last week and thought they were clever.
With the Cannabis Act passing through the House and Senate and receiving royal assent last week, marijuana prohibition in Canada will officially end Oct. 17.
We’re blazing towards a new historical frontier some say is scary and ill-advised, while others who have been waiting most of their lives to light up without fear of repercussions will celebrate the best way they know how, with a toke, maybe a sandwich, then a nap. It’s very unlikely they will be in the streets, flaunting it. Maybe in the city, but not in Westlock.
We found out last week that a company has applied to the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission to set up a retail cannabis store in Westlock. We wonder how residents are going to react to this. Will there be lineups around the block, or will our pages be filled with letters to the editor reviling the store’s very existence? We do love letters.
We surprised mayor Ralph Leriger with the news fresh off his vacation and he reiterated what he has said before. That the issue lies within federal jurisdiction and the town is happy to follow any regulations set forth by the feds and the province, but is otherwise uninterested in legislating any municipal restrictions.
“People can have their personal opinions all they want, but it’s not up to us,” said Leriger. “We’re about roads, sewers and sidewalks.”
The new store may sell an intoxicating substance, but so do the dozen or so establishments where residents buy or consume alcohol, which is by all indications more harmful to an individual’s health and society as a whole than cannabis use.
It’s no secret the region is very conservative by nature, but will they take this change to the status quo in stride? It’s possible, but will the label of drug-user still be applied to those who seek to normalize the use of cannabis in the first years of the transition?
A few months after October, when the novelty wears off, we suspect you’ll find very little has changed, but who will be the first lawyer, politician or doctor to come out and say they partake in an occasional bong rip?
